4/20/12

Have I been excited for weeks on end when I heard Matt Lewis co-owner of the infamous Baked NYC bakery in Brooklyn, NY AND cookbook co-author of Baked: New Frontiers in Baking AND Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented said YES to a guest post for moi?Ohhhh you betcha.I've known and adored him for years. He thinks I'm super creative (blush) and I think he's god-like creative! I've lost count on how many times I asked him to marry me (but I think he's kept count, sadly).You have to be living under rock or hanging in Tibet, not to have seen the creative duo that is matt lewis and renato poliafito: aka modern day bakers with ingenious twist on modern day baking. Have you seen them on The Cooking Channel Unique Sweets? Oh they are so cute--talking heads. OK, I know they're guys, but they are just so fun to watch; I mean they are so at ease, chill kind of guys with a huge passion for baked goods. Who doesn't love a man with a huge passion for all things cake, cookies, pies, etc...?And book 3? There is a book 3? Yes. Thank goodness! Book 3 is almost done, I've asked him about it in the interview (below). These guys never stop to rest. Where their energy comes from I haven't a clue; they must have a fountain of creative youth stashed away in the Baked Laboratories, somewhere in Brooklyn....I am heading to NYC this summer and I will report back on where that fountain of youth is. Promise.Matt was kind enough to answer some really good, inquisitive questions I had and a couple from the fans. Shall we? (and there is a giveaway too...read on thru to find out about it!)

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Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito left their day jobs in advertising seven years ago to open their bakery, Baked, in Brooklyn, NY, to immediate praise from fans across the country. The authors have been featured on Oprah, the Today show, the Food Network, and Martha Stewart. Their first book, Baked, was an IACP award nominee.And recently they’ve teamed up with Williams Sonoma to sell their infamous baked brownies, brookies, sour cream coffee cakes, and red velvet whoopie pies—all in ready, simple, luxurious ready to make mixes.

How do you sum up their style/twist on baking? Classic American desserts reinvented with a modern/kicked up twist.I love that they think of themselves “dessert experts” as stated on their “about us” page at bakednyc.com. Stating they “…are blessed with a highly (almost holy) developed sense of taste and smell….”A little history of Matt and Renato:“….. Matt, a producer, spent his days hidden away in a cubicle stuffed with spreadsheets, post-its, and relentless voice mails, while Renato spent his time in the more rarefied field of graphic design (i.e. making things look beautiful so people would buy them). Their thoughts were never too far from cake and coffee. Coincidentally, Matt and Renato met at a glitzy, high-profile ad agency, and slowly (even unbeknownst to them) the idea for Baked was born.Matt wanted to open a bakery that celebrated American desserts beyond the cupcake, and Renato had always been hankering to open a neighborhood cafe, so together they scoured New York City for the perfect location. They found a small, storefront church in the largely industrialized section of Brooklyn, and together with Rafi Avramovitz, set about building their inspiration. Finally, after many long delays, they opened Baked in 2005 on the shores of Red Hook, Brooklyn with just a few ovens, some mixers, and an espresso machine…”

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Interview Questions:

So I hear Book 3 is done, passed in and soon will be in print? Is this true?

Well, almost done. Unfortunately, we like to tinker right up to the last moment (and it drives our editors crazy) but for all practical purposes it is finished and it will be out in September or October.

Tell us a little about Book 3, and how can you ever top your first two books? I mean those were just amazing—one can only imagine what book 3 will be like?

Book 3 is a slight departure for us in terms of design, styling, etc...It is still very much a "Baked" book, but it centers more on our favorite ingredients as opposed to bakery best-sellers. And yes, there is a chapter devoted to boozy sweets.

You know I’ve been dying to know for a while now, what was the feeling you had when Oprah dubbed your brownies as one of her favorite things? It must have felt amazing.

I guess, in the food world, being included in Oprah's fave things is like winning an Academy Award. It still makes us giddy.

And you’ve been on the Martha Stewart show a fewtimes; do you get nervous, still?

I could barely speak the first time we met (dry mouth, shaky hands)- I wanted to work for Martha right after I moved to the city, so in a sense it was like meeting an idol. Honestly, Martha is kinder and funnier and smarter than one can imagine. She really knows the ins and outs of baking...like REALLY KNOWS...and she has a wicked sense of humor.

The new talking/reporting gig you have on The Cooking Channel’s “Unique Sweets” has got to be fun? What’s not to love: travel, eat and report.

It was so much fun to be part of, though I really had a craving to go on a juice cleanse post-wrap taping.

I know you’re going to roll your eyes with this one, since I ask you all the time when we talk, but how do you stay so thin with all the baked goods that you sample, and all the recipes you try?

We get asked that a lot. Honestly, I have learned to sample and disburse. I take one bite, Nato takes one bite, then we wrap what is left and give it away to customers, neighbors, friends and if it is bad...enemies :). I still gain about 15lbs during book testing, but work hard to shed the weight as soon as I am done.

Coming up with new recipes: do they just come to you, or do you do a little research to get some inspiration going?

We get most of our inspiration from fever dreams, old magazines and books, travel, and grandmas. Grandmas in the mid-west happen to have the best recipes in the world IMHO. At the moment, all I can think of is something called a Kermit Cake. Not sure what it is going to be yet, but that is the perfect idea of a recipe we start riffing on when all we have is just a name.

Did you grow up in a “foodie family”? Were your parents foodies? Or in your case “sweet tooth aficionados’?

My family was not a foodie family. My mom's mom is an amazing Italian cook, but my mom never really took after her. We ate out a lot... Much later in life, my dad become really interested in food, but growing up it was all about "where we going to eat tonight"?

If you were stranded on a desert island with fresh water, and only had a choice of one of your favorite comfort foods, what would it be?

A jar of peanut butter and good bread.

If you could go to any country just for their food which one would you choose?

I love Paris, but I think Rome is hands down a better food destination. It’s an overused stereotype but true - You can't get a bad meal in Rome. And anyone that says otherwise, is a snob.

If you could invite any three people to dinner (living or dead) who would they be and what would you make?

I know I should invite a bunch of interesting, artistic and impressionable historical masterminds, but part of me just wants to invite Ryan Gosling, Carol Burnett, and Charles Dickens.

In your downtime, when you’re not researching and testing new recipes what do you do to relax?

I love the beach.

I gotta admit, what drew me to you and Renato was your devotion to ALWAYS use quality ingredients and to never ever cut/trim your creations for the sake of saving money. I can’t tell you how many bakeries do this over time, to save a buck, and then wonder why they went out of business. I imagine this was a dual-promise you and Renato had from the beginning: quality ingredients, equals quality products. Right?

Absolutely. We figured our bakery was all about quality ingredients. The best cocoa powder, the best chocolate...If we couldn't use what we wanted, our vision just didn't make sense.

Any tips or advice for people that want to open their own bakery? I know location is key, having a good product is utmost as well, anything else?

Hire great people. Be aware that you won't make as much money as your friends at Facebook or Apple or etc..- EVER! And treat your customers with respect.

See what I mean? They are just fabulous people. I love them. Thank you so much Matt and Renato! You both are a huge inspiration not only to me, but to many others out there, starting out in the baking/bakery industry.

I also wanted to mention, if you've been following along with my blog lately, I've been taking the Baked Brownie mix and creating new recipes with them.

And lastly, my personal favorite, is a mocha-almond ice cream with brownie chunks. I've waited for the right time to try and recreate a childhood favorite of mine: Brighams Mocha Almond ice cream. Always wanted to do it with a twist. And this was my lucky chance.

You have to know, I did have all intentions of freezing little brownie chunks for this ice cream, I truly had no idea how well they tasted when frozen. Never ever had brownies taste so good frozen. Most were always too hard or too gummy like. Not these. Perfect little frozen treats, even if you don't make the ice cream, just make the brownies and freeze them into little chunks for snacking.

Cook notes: if you don’t have a starbuck via, you can easily use espresso powder, maybe ¾ - 1 TB? Do ¾ TB first then taste test, see if it needs more. Remember that using double dutch cocoa powder is strong, so you only need a little bit ( ½ TB) if you feel it needs more then by all means go ahead.

Make up a batch of the Baked Brownies. When they are cooled take about half of the brownies, ut into little chunks of ½ or so, and freeze them. Of better yet, freeze them all, these brownies are amazing frozen!In a medium size saucepan, over medium heat, heat up the milk, sugar, and salt; stirring occasionally. You want this hot, but not boiling.In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks until well combined. Slowly add (a couple tablespoons at a time) of the hot mixture to the egg yolk mixture, all the while stirring/whisking constantly. Keep doing this until all the egg yolk mixture is well combined with the hot milk. (you’ll use about half the hot milk mixture).Then pour the warmed up yolks into the saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat; constantly stirring until the mixture thickens up a bit. Add in the dutch cocoa powder and the Starbuck Via. (taste test, and see if you need more of anything, might need a pinch more salt, but when we ad the salty, roasted almonds to the mixture the salt from the almonds will fix that).You know the ice cream custard is done when the custard thickens, and easily coats a spatula.Might take about 15-20 minutes to get to this point; make sure to keep stirring!Take off heat and pour into a bowl, cover tightly and chill at least a few hours (or overnight) before churning.When ready to churn, use your ice cream manufacturer’s directions to churn. At the last 5 minutes of churning add in the brownie and almond chunks.Remove ice cream from churner and place into glass or ceramic bowl, cover tightly and into the freezer to continue setting up.Makes about 1 & ½ quarts.

The giveaway! The Baked Boys are very generous. And thank you guys for this!

o leave ONE comment telling us if you think the Baked Boys should venture on to a cookbook #4 AND what baked treats would you like to see new or old or kicked up?Be creative here kids!!

o please have a valid email in your signature or comment.o No anonymous comments please.o It would be nice to LIKE Baked NYC on Facebook, to stay in top of the arrival of Book 3 and other events. They might have more giveaways when Book 3 arrives!

LOVE BAKED. Have the cookbooks and one of my favorite recipes is the crumb cake.I would love to see another cookbook, one can not have too many.I am game for trying any new recipes they come up with.Thanks for the chance.elkjohnson@gmail.comhttp://www.clearpink.etsy.com

To say I LOVE these guys is an understatement - - I ADORE them to bits. Not only are they baking master minds, but they aren't to shabby on the eyes either. I can not wait for the release of the 3rd book - - I know it's going to be great :)

I think they should make a 4th book ... and a 5th ... and a 6th - - can you tell I'm a bit of a fan :P I would honestly purchase anything these men create

I would love to see them re-vamp their burnt sugar bundt cake - - it's already pretty amazing, but I know they can work their magic and take it out of this world

The ice cream willl be a perfect antedote for this weekend 100s here in AZ!! Baked is such an amazing destination. I discovered their genius first in Charleston, SCtheir second location & have been hooked all the years later.#4 should be go but what...it's hard to say since I haven't seen #3 but 50 state recipes could be fun using local ingredients. I'd love a prickly pear fruit & cocoa recipe.

i love their cookbooks even though i have yet to own one. i just tend to oooo and ahh over them when i see them. they're on my wishlist.

i would love to see what they could accomplish with some of the gluten free ingredients, in particular things like almond meal/flour and coconut flour. those are my new baking ingredients and it's tough trying to make the things i love with different flours.

I heart Baked! Please keep up the cookbooks. I love everything I've had, but my two faves have to be the hummingbird cake and this Cherry Almond muffin I got one saturday morning... I still think about this muffin regularly and I had it in February. Sitting in the bakery, eating that muffin and listening to Morrissey playing in the shop... Amazing! I'm kind of happy I live 5 hours away b/c I could get into trouble :)

As a HUGE fan of the first 2 books (and eagerly awaiting they 3rd), I think they should def make a 4th. It would be cool if they took on international desserts, tweaking them in that oh so special way they are so good at. I would love to see their take on a tres leches cake or flan (I'm Puerto Rican, so those are the first 2 that came to mind).

fabulous! I can't think of one good reason theses guys should stop writing books. I have a terrible sweet tooth too, but I'm not so good at the bake and disburse method. I love the mid-west granny inspiration, I think that should be the theme of the next book. I have some great church cookbooks you could be inspired by!

Totally new to the Baked boys...but it is never a bad thing to have a million cookbooks, they should totes make a 4th...Maybe they should look into all the blogs that are baking their way through Baked cookbooks and tackle the twists those people have done to their recipes...could be interesting, never really seen a cookbook that is inspired by other recipes inspired by their old recipes (maybe that's a little too Inception-esque but whatevs)

Yes to book #4! I've haven't tried their recipes but I've heard so many great things about them, I've added their books to my wish list. :) I would love to see their spin on a traditional favorite here in Hawaii, the malasada (a Portuguese sweet that's kind of like a doughnut without a hole that's rolled in sugar).

They should definitely do a fourth book. Why stop a good thing when they're one a roll. I also have to say I made the brooksters from their mix sold at Williams Sonoma and the family loved them! nbdillon07@comcast.net

I adore the Baked Boys! In fact, I participate in an on-line group called "Baked Sunday Mornings" (http://bakedsundaymornings.com/) - and we'd love to have you join us! Right now, we bake from Book 2 every other week, but have already agreed to mix in recipes from all 3 books once the third one comes out.

I absolutely would love to see Book 4! Being at the slight disadvantage of not seeing what's in Book 3, I'd like to see a book that has recipes from each state - like Warren Brown's "United Cakes of America." Think of how fun that would be to research & write!

Thanks for a great interview! I love their cookbooks, can't wait for number 3 and of COURSE they should do a fourth!For me it's all about sweet and salty combos - I'd bet they can make a whole cookbook with that as inspiration, no?

Cookbook #4 would be great! I think someone mentioned "50 states recipes" which would be really great for Baked style I think. If not, something a bit different: something like "Baked explores the globe" with some worldwide recipes, though it seems like Baked is more for American recipes at heart. Either way, another cookbook would be glorious :)

I could always learn more sweet treat recipes, so the more Baked books, the merrier!!! I would like to see maybe some gluten free recipes too...I have a few family members and it is difficult to show my love to them (because I always bake for my friends and family just because I love them), so that would be super awesome!!!

I'd love to see a holiday cookbook from the Baked guys. One of my favorite cookies is gingerbread and I'd like to see how they would kick up that cookie to make it different from a regular gingerbread cookie. Chocolate and candied ginger?

Wow, a 4th cookbook would be so awesome. I love the story behind baked because it is so cool to see people really take a chance and follow their dreams. It gives inspiration to us all. I think it would be cool to see some vegan recipes. But I'm also really partial with anything combining peanut butter and chocolate, so I couldn't say no to any of those. julia.butterfield@yahoo.com

Definitely a number #4 book. I am saving up to buy their books, unless I win? Yes!I grew up outside NYC, so I would love to see more of the older German bakery items redone and boosted: crumb cake, jelly doughnuts, and like that.

Of course they should do a 4th book! I love anything involving spicy desserts, like carrot cake, not so much chiles, even though that can be a good time too. However, I liked an earlier suggestion of throwing in some booze. I love giving things a little added kick.

A huge yes for book 4! I love Baked. Their recipes to me are such a treasure. Everything tuns out perfectly and so interestingly. We don't have anything like this around at any bakery and yet everyone loves it. Greetings all the way from Lithuania! :)

I love BAKED recipes and not just the sweets. Not knowing what they've included in book 3, a GF book would be good, or their take on international favorites such as alfajores, tres leches, sticky rice with mangoes, etc. I make BAKED brownies including bacon and bourbon, also use their brownies cubed in Junior's Cheesecake. Now I'm hungry. :-) lfmelcher at gmail dot com

I love the Baked guys and I've been dying to try one of their mixes from Williams-Sonoma. I whole-heartedly vote for a #4 book. I'd love to see more peanut butter recipes... I'm in the market for a peanut butter cake recipe. :)

Never heard of the Baked Boys until 23 seconds ago. Now that I have, I think that exposure would be the reason to write a fourth book. I am a brownie/molten chocolate/peanutbutter cookie fan. I bet they have written about those already. I will know when you send me the books and the mix!!!

I have only read book number one, but it was enough to say that or course number four should be written! I'm not sure what is in books two and three, but I too am a fan of anything made with chocolate. Perhaps some of those molten chocolate cakes with different middle choices (rich chocolate. kahlua chocolate, and peanut butter) for book number four?

Sure they should write a 4th cookbook but maybe explore something alittle different. Maybe something more simplier for moms' like me with 4 hungry boys.I suggest recipes that are on the simplier side with ingredients that you can pretty much find in every kitchen and ones that are quick and old fashioned.Maybe a 1950's themed mom in the kitchen kinda book.

I have a zillion baking cookbooks. Guess what? The two "Baked" cookbooks by Matt and Renaldo are both ones I would grab if my oven caught on fire after a bad caramel fiasco. Next book: if not diner desserts reinvented or Southern desserts re-imagined, go international, home baked Italian and French

I don't have either of these cookbooks yet, but I have heard wonderful things. Great giveaway! I think they should absolutely go for cookbook 4... I think it would be fun to feature unusual/creative flavors and textures. And maybe some macarons?!

Wow - that ice cream looks delicious! Of course another cookbook would be a good idea. What I'd like to see is a whoopie pie. I'm not that familiar but have tried a couple and they were too sweet. Wonder what a good quality whoopie pie with ice cream would taste like.

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com